The Phillies may or may not conduct a managerial search, but Alex Cora appears to have a strong inside track to become their next manager with interim manager Don Mattingly expected to step down. 

There’s no word Philly has started its process yet, but Cora was offered the job before the Phillies promoted Mattingly from bench coach. So it’s an unusual situation where the favorite is known. 

Mattingly engineered a terrific turnaround, going 79-55 after taking over a 9-19 team, before the Phillies exited the playoffs in the wild-card round. 

Cora has a very close relationship with Phillies president Dave Dombrowski from their days winning the 2018 World Series with the Red Sox. So a reunion surely works well for both.